Chapter 919: Conquering the Enemy Without Fighting
As soon as the two met and opened their mouths, Gu Helian felt at a disadvantage. He couldn't help but roll his eyes: "If I wasn't worried about my little Haitang becoming a widow at such a young age, I wouldn't have come here."
Xiao Yan raised his lips and smiled: "Thank you, uncle."
Gu Helian: “…”
The temper was suppressed instantly.
Seeing that their Majesty had the Gu family head in his grasp with just two sentences, Xiao Zheng and Hang Li couldn't help laughing.
Jinyun said beside him, "Master Gu, why are you here?"
Gu Helian seemed to be comforted by the word "Uncle", and the sarcastic tone was no longer there when he spoke: "The Queen asked me to come."
"Empress?" Xiao Zheng and the others were puzzled.
Gu Helian said, "Didn't the Queen capture Ming Ke, a spy from Beiling, along with Lu Jiuan and some people from Beiling? The Queen had people pry open their mouths and learned some secrets that no one else knew."
"Before the three major Beiling tribes marched to Luoyan Pass, Lu Zhinian and Princess Wuya of the Zongyu tribe struck a deal with the Thirteen Scattered Tribes and some smaller tribes. They had originally planned to wait until the Beiling army marched south, seize power in the Imperial City while the troops were depleted, and install Wuya as their successor. They would then have Lu Zhinian find an opportunity on the front lines to kill Xiahou Ling and seize control of the military. Unexpectedly..."
"Unexpectedly, Beiling encountered problems in the first step south and was defeated at Luoyan Pass?" Xiao Yan said in a calm voice.
Gu Helian nodded. "Yes, their plan went awry, and the main army heading south was defeated. However, the Thirteen Scattered Tribes and those smaller tribes are still dealing with the Princess's Mansion. Some of them have leverage over Lu Zhinian, some are forced to do so out of necessity, and some are afraid that after the Wei Dynasty defeats Beiling, they will exterminate all the tribes on the northern grasslands."
Beiling's expedition was a fight to the death. Although the thirteen scattered tribes did not send many people, they were forced to provide food and military supplies under the pressure of the royal court. In order to make up for their share, most of the tribe's cattle, sheep and livestock were slaughtered.
It would be fine if Beiling won, as they could get some benefits, but if Beiling lost, all their investments would be wasted, and even the livelihood of the tribe would become a problem.
Gu Helian said, "Not everyone on this grassland is warlike. Many of the Thirteen Scattered Tribes and other small tribes yearn for peace. That's why they never align themselves with the royal court, nor do they follow the three major tribes into battle. All they seek is adequate food and clothing, and a stable community."
Xiao Zheng frowned and said, "What Patriarch Gu means is..."
Gu Helian didn't keep the secret. "Your Majesty, do you remember Hu Baoxian, who arranged things for Zhang Bin and the others to stay in the Imperial City and covered their identities?"
Xiao Yan nodded: "I remember."
Gu Helian said, "That man is one of the leaders of the Thirteen Tribes. He's also a rare figure who isn't from one of the three major tribes but has become an elder of the Beiling Royal Court. I had a pretty good relationship with him when I came to Beiling to do business. We even discussed establishing trade between the two countries, but the conditions weren't ripe at the time, and the imperial court wasn't willing to do so."
"Your Majesty has now achieved a decisive victory over Beiling, and all the lands along the border are now part of the territory of the Great Wei. If Your Majesty promises not to exterminate the grassland tribes after victory, and to spare no innocents except the three major tribes of the royal court and those who participated in the war, and is willing to open a market on the border to allow the grassland tribes to enter and trade, I am confident that I can persuade them to retreat."
Upon hearing this, Hang Li couldn't help but say, "But those who are not from our tribe must have different hearts. The barbarians of Beiling are fierce and brave, and most of them are warlike. If we can't subdue them once and for all, drive them out of Tianling Mountain, and enrich them through trade, then if they come back, wouldn't today's battle be in vain?"
Gu Helian laughed. "You're right. Emperor Taizu conquered them back then, didn't he? At that time, only five or six out of ten people from the Beiling tribe were killed, and the rest were half-dead. Yet, only a few years later, they fought back and nearly crushed the Wei Dynasty."
"Unless every future generation is ruled by wise rulers, and everyone is like your Majesty, leaving even one Beiling person alive for a long time could lead to the downfall of the Wei Dynasty. Do you intend to exterminate all the tens of millions of people on the Beiling grasslands, leaving not a single one alive?"
"I..." Hang Li was speechless.
Gu Helian looked up at Xiao Yan and said, "Although the Beiling army was defeated, there are probably 80,000 to 90,000 people on the grassland right now, excluding those from the royal court, the Thirteen Scattered Tribes and other small tribes."
"These people were born to roam the grasslands. You can't catch them, nor can you wipe them all out. If you kill them too hard, they will definitely fight back desperately, and your Majesty's reputation as a tyrant and murderer will spread throughout the world."
"I know Your Majesty is not afraid, but Your Majesty wants more than just Beiling, right?"
He straightened his sleeves and said slowly:
"And the trade didn't just enrich them. Beiling is vast. Although they're not good at farming and weaving, and lack clothing, food, tea, and other daily necessities, they have countless minerals, wool, horses, leather, medicinal herbs, and many other things not found in the Central Plains."
"By exchanging goods with them, we can not only replenish the scarce goods needed by the Wei Kingdom, but also earn a considerable amount of money to enrich the national treasury. Most importantly, after the trade opens, the people on the grasslands will gradually come into contact with the Wei Kingdom's writing system, learn what the people of the Wei Kingdom learn, understand the principles that the people of the Wei Kingdom understand, and gradually engrave everything about the Wei Kingdom into their blood and bones."
"Your Majesty, don't you think this will be far more effective in bringing the people of Beiling to their knees than resorting to military intimidation and bloodshed?"
Xiao Yan's eyebrows jumped, and the expressions of Xiao Zheng and others beside him also changed.
They are not stupid. Gu Helian has explained it so clearly. What else could they not understand?
Gu Helian wanted to corrupt the people of Beiling with money and educate them with literature, so as to "tame" them bit by bit and gradually integrate them with the people of Dawei.
When the trade opens, the victorious Wei will naturally be able to control the overall situation. Anyone from Beiling who enters to trade will have to learn the official language, writing, and etiquette of Wei, and bring back Wei's things to Beiling bit by bit.
Those Beiling children will be influenced by the culture of the Great Wei since childhood. If the Wei Dynasty is more "merciful", it will open a few schools on the border to teach Beiling children, allow the two tribes to intermarry, and exchange what they have.
As generations go by, within a hundred years, the people of Beiling will be assimilated into the Great Wei, and by then Beiling will also be the Great Wei.
This is the only way to defeat the enemy without fighting.
Gu Helian asked, "Your Majesty, what do you think of what I said?"
Xiao Yan touched the spot on his body where the arrow had struck him and asked in a deep voice, "Are you sure?"
Gu Helian said, "About 70 percent. Hu Baoxian has always been unwilling to cooperate with the Princess's Mansion, and he's been forced to help the royal court defend against enemies these days. As long as we can offer them sufficient benefits, such as food and clothing to ensure their well-being, he won't refuse. Even if he refuses, I'm confident I can escape unscathed."
Xiao Yan: "Okay, I will draft an imperial edict and send you to negotiate with them."
"As long as they are willing to retreat and submit to the Wei Dynasty now, I will not harm their tribe. As for other conditions, you can negotiate them."
Gu Helian raised an eyebrow: "You are so generous, Your Majesty, aren't you afraid that I will give out too much?"
Xiao Yan smiled and said, "What belongs to me is An Ning's. As long as my uncle is willing to give it away, I can afford it."
Gu Helian made a spitting sound.
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